The Other Woman

But don’t let that stop you from appreciating the impact of this intruder on your relationships.

7% of Americans will respond to them during sex. Meals have no chance – that number jumps to 49% of those under 25 years old and 27% of the over 25 crowd.

50% of Baby Boomers and 83% of Gen Yers sleep next to this intruder – which by now you’ve guessed is a cell phone.

It calls, you answer. Most people aren’t that instantaneously responsive to their own families.

Tourists study their cell phones instead of what they’ve traveled to see.

Friends ignore their companions to attend to the digital blips of other real or virtual friends.

Oh, they’re so wonderful. Equipped with Twitter, Facebook, weather, traffic and sports updates they’re even more indispensable. They’ve changed our world – in most ways for the better. But in some ways to the detriment of our personal and professional relationships and our ability to live fully in the moment.

The dangers of driving while texting and those loud mouth chatterers in public places get all the attention. What about the other perils of our relationships with our cellular companions?